On Sept. 8, Olivia Rodrigo released her newest album “GUTS” leaving fans thrilled. Rodrigo’s first album “SOUR” was a hit beyond hits and received seven Grammy nominations and three wins. I would not be surprised if this happened again, or if she did even better.
When I first heard the album name was “GUTS,” I immediately thought this album would come from a place of revenge and heartbreak, rather than straight sadness, and it sure delivered. Each song has a different way of sharing stories of a teenage girls’ life, and it makes it easy to relate to, even if it’s not your age group. The lyrics she writes are so clever that it took me a couple of times to fully grasp what she was trying to get across, and now I can listen to the album and hear each of the stories she’s telling through song.
Many people have been hating on her for the lyrics in some of her songs being cringy, or too obvious, but those aren’t the songs I’m talking about. I agree her singles are very surface level and are making it big because they are catchy, like ‘vampire,’ but if you go through the album to her slower but powerful songs, the word choice is impeccable and will send you chills.
This album also takes part in Rodrigo’s rock side. These songs I personally don’t love to listen to all of the time, but I still think they are genius and deserve credit. I love ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’ which brings the energy, and it immediately grabbed my attention with its heavy metal vibe. The album begins very sarcastic with her fake smile, but by the end with ‘teenage dream,’ she is portrayed very devious with a smirk, and it is everything. Rodrigo’s pop vibe from “SOUR” evolved into more punk, and it translated well over to fans. There is a lot of attitude and you can tell she’s not holding back any emotion or punk vibe in these new songs.
Every song deserves major credit and attention, but my top two songs are ‘the grudge’ and ‘lacy.’ ‘the grudge’ has beautiful lyrics that make me want to scream along, but the part I love most about this song is the back tracks. If you listen carefully to the instruments you will appreciate the thought put behind it, and it is magical. I love ‘lacy’ because of the lyrics. It shows a comparison in being a teenage girl and having to work for something to reach your goals, which I found inspiring.
Overall, this album is already underrated to me. I truly don’t think people have been talking about it enough, because it is amazing.
Rating: 10/10
